Wrinkles can be good for you

It's good to be wrinkled. They may make you look older, but getting wrinkles could reduce your risk of developing skin cancer. According to a British study, two groups of people with sun-damaged skin were studied. They found that people with few wrinkles were the most likely to develop cancer, while people with the most wrinkles were less likely says Christopher Griffiths, M.D., the study author. Dr. Griffiths speculates that a person's skin may be predisposed to repair sun damage by either forming wrinkles or forming cancerous growths. 

Antismoking Vaccine 
Researchers in the United Kingdom are developing a new antismoking vaccine. The drug-called TA-NIC-prevents nicotine from reaching the brain. By eliminating the buzz that people get from lighting up, the scientists hope to make it easier for smokers to give up cigarettes for good. 

According to a new University of Mississippi study, cigarettes can have chemical-altering, antidepressant-like effects on the brain. These mood-boosting effects may explain the high incidence of smoking among people with depression, and the extra difficulty depressed people have in quitting smoking. Because of the finding, researchers believe that it may be easier for some people to finally stop smoking if they take antidepressants. In related news, a Mayo Clinic study found that men who quit smoking and took the antidepressant bupropion for an entire year were less likely to gain weight or start smoking again than men who took a placebo. 

Eat Less, Live Longer 
According to a study from the University of California, the fewer calories you eat each day, the longer you can expect to live. Researchers found that mice on a low-calorie diet lived longer than those with a higher calorie intake. But more important, the researchers also discovered that switching a mouse from a higher-calorie diet to a lower-calorie one eliminated up to 70 percent of all genetic signs of aging that the animal had previously shown. According to Stephen Spindler, Ph.D., the study author, this suggests that much of the damage from a high-calorie diet isn't permanent and can be rectified by a simple change in the amount you eat.